Stishovite has the same chemical formula as silica quartz (SiO2) but it has much higher density. While SiO2 is abundant on Earth's crust, it is also a major component of basalt, a type of igneous rock that is rich in iron ...
Geoscientists have long thought that water—along with shallow magma stored in Earth's crust—drives volcanoes to erupt. Now, thanks to newly developed research tools at Cornell, scientists have learned that gaseous carbon ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 7, 2023
9
190
Scientists have taken a journey back in time to unlock the mysteries of Earth's early history, using tiny mineral crystals called zircons to study plate tectonics billions of years ago. The research sheds light on the conditions ...
Astrobiology
Jun 14, 2023
1
345
Meteorite impacts can be cataclysmic events in the history of a planet, melting rock, changing atmospheric chemistry, and wreaking general havoc.
Planetary Sciences
Apr 12, 2023
0
55
Earth's crust contains pockets of water, metal-rich brines, gas and molten rock, especially near volcanoes and other sites of geothermal activity. Knowing where these fluids are and their precise composition can help scientists ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 10, 2023
0
3
Destruction of key hydrothermal vents by deep-sea mining could have knock-on impacts for vent fields hundreds of kilometers away, suggests a new paper published in Ecology and Evolution.
Ecology
Feb 15, 2023
0
50
Cornell researchers have unearthed precise, microscopic clues to where magma is stored, offering scientists—and government officials in populated areas—a way to better assess the risk of volcanic eruptions.
Earth Sciences
Feb 8, 2023
2
131
We live on an active planet, one whose surface is constantly in motion, although imperceptibly to us most of the time. Until an earthquake occurs.
Earth Sciences
Jan 10, 2023
0
8
The Earth's mantle makes up about 85% of the Earth's volume and is made of solid rock. But exactly what rock types is the mantle made of, and how are they distributed throughout the mantle? An international team of researchers—including ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 30, 2022
0
72
Early crust on Mars may be more complex than previously thought—and it may even be similar to our own planet's original crust.
Planetary Sciences
Nov 4, 2022
5
426
